Kelly Visits Arizona Planned Parenthood Clinic to Hear from Providers on Abortion Access in the State

This week, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in Tempe, Arizona, to meet with staff and providers to discuss the challenges they are facing as the state whiplashes back and forth between two abortion bans. During his visit, Kelly toured the facility and met with Planned Parenthood Arizona President and CEO Angela Florez and health care providers to hear their experiences and learn more about the services offered on site. 

In a media availability following the tour, Kelly highlighted the chaos and uncertainty Arizona women and doctors are living under and emphasized the long-term impact of restrictive laws on the state’s healthcare workforce. 

“Women used to have the right, here in our state, to make this decision—which is often a hard decision— but make it with them and their doctor. And now that right is gone. And as Angela talked about, it’s very confusing,” Kelly said about the 1864 abortion ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court and the subsequent repeal by the state legislature. 

About the impact on the state’s healthcare workforce, Kelly said, “The number of residency applications to be a resident, to become a doctor in our state, providing any kind of care—those applications are down 20%, and for OB/GYNs the number of applications is down 25%. […] Ultimately, the answer to this is to codify Roe at the federal level.

Background:

Kelly has been a leading voice nationally against this ban, condemning the Arizona Supreme Court decision moments after it was released and speaking about the disastrous impact for women and doctors. 

Kelly is a co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would write almost 50 years of precedent for abortion protections under Roe v. Wade into law, and joined a brief in support of upholding the Food and Drug Administration’s longstanding authority to approve and regulate mifepristone—an abortion and miscarriage management medication that has been used safely and effectively for over 20 years. Kelly also helped introduce legislation to provide a consistent and strong source of funding for the Title X Family Planning Program.